Immaculate Obsessions
by Geminium
Summary: Phantom's always been a part of Danny. That is, until Danny acquires the Reality Gauntlet and separates them. Unfortunately, every ghost has an obsession, and Phantom is no exception...
1. Prologue

**Author Notes:** A sequel to 'A Ghostly Perspective', although you don't have to read the prequel since it can work as a standalone. It will be Pitch Pearl this time (meaning Fenton x Phantom, for those who don't know). If that isn't to your taste, you've been warned. Moreover, this will be slow-moving Pitch Pearl (because build-up makes everything better :P), so don't expect the two to get together right off the bat. The prologue is somewhat short, though the later chapters will be longer. Lastly, for those unfamiliar with the setting, this fic starts off during/after 'Reality Trip', the third TV movie.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Danny Phantom.

* * *

It wasn't like him to do this. Brooding, that is. He was more of a 'shoot first, ask questions later' type. A split second of indecision could be the difference between life and death. Either for him, or for the innocent civilians of Amity Park that were ever-present during a ghost attack.

None of his battle prowess though, was going to be of help here. Danny stopped pacing for a moment and glared for about the umpteenth time at his closet door.

The Reality Gauntlet. A glove capable of bending time and space, allowing its user to transcend the laws of physics. Depending on who wielded it, the gauntlet could be the key to paradise on Earth, or a weapon of mass destruction.

And it was there. In Danny's closet. Buried underneath a pile of clothes and locked away in a small, metal, ghost-proof safe that his parents had given him on his eighth birthday. Every family member had one, in case a ghost tried to make off with their possessions. Danny had never used it. At least, not until now.

Still, the fact that he had something so powerful didn't sit well with him. He'd only taken it from Freakshow because the man was using it to terrorize the students; not because he'd wanted the power for himself.

And now that it was here, in his possession, Danny couldn't help but feel a bit worried. Worried that some ghost might make off with it. Or that the Guys in White might track it down to his house. There'd be no way to explain how he'd come to possess such a powerful item without incriminating himself first.

_But then, you could just use the Gauntlet to make them forget,_ Phantom supplied helpfully. Danny sighed in response.

Right. Phantom. The whole reason he'd even kept the stupid thing in the first place. Danny had always thought of Phantom as a friend, a confidant and even, if he was honest with himself, an older brother of sorts. Granted, the spirit could be a major headache to listen to, but he could always count on the other when he needed it the most.

_"It's also why I'm so hesitant to do this."_ Danny faltered, before shoving the traitorous thought into a deep corner of his mind. No, Phantom deserved this. He shouldn't have to spend the rest of his existence locked up within some fourteen year-old's mind. His, to be exact.

He couldn't afford to be selfish anymore.

With steady hands, he opened the closet door, shifting through the clothes and pulling the box out from underneath and old sweatshirt.

_What are you doing? _He ignored his counterpart's queries, pressing his thumb down on the access pad. A small buzzing noise emanated from the box, as it scanned the thumbprint. Beeping affirmatively, the safe opened with a clean hiss, the sleek metal sides pulling back to reveal the gauntlet, the gems sparkling in the dim light of the bedroom. Danny picked it up, and slid his hand into the opening. The metal stuck to his skin, his sweat causing it to chafe uncomfortably on his arm.

_I swear, you better tell me what you're doing right now or I'll-,_ Danny pushed Phantom's growing distress to focus on the task at hand. He quickly inputted the sequence to activate the gems. It was only a matter of time before-

_Wha-Danny, stop!_

_"He knows,"_ Danny thought belatedly, fixated on the power that was building within his palm as each gem was pushed. It'd been expected; Phantom had access to every thought and memory in his mind. He was bound to find out what he was up to eventually.

_I won't let you do this to yourself!_ Danny paused, a hint of regret sweeping over him. He knew it wouldn't be the same. Without Phantom. Without the person he regarded as his own twin. They'd be two different people, with separate bodies. Separate minds.

_"But I can't live like this. Not anymore,"_ Danny thought dejectedly, his mind a wordless storm. _"And neither can you."_

_But I can! I _want_ to!_ Phantom replied angrily,_ I'm fine with the way things are. Like this! The two of us, together!_

_"Trust me, it's better this way,"_ Phantom would be better off like this. He'd be free, free to do whatever he wanted with his life. With no one to control his actions, his thoughts.

The other might not forgive him, though. In fact, Phantom would probably hate him for separating them, for deciding to push him away from what Phantom obviously thought was his rightful place. But it didn't matter. He wouldn't do it. He couldn't, living day to day knowing his friend, his brother, was imprisoned inside his own mind.

_Danny, please!_ his counterpart was pleading now. If Phantom had had a body, he'd be crying at this moment. Danny wondered what the other would look like. Would they have the same eyes; the same height? Or would it be all different? The thought only spurred him on.

_Danny!_

_"I'm sorry,"_ Danny murmured. He pressed the last gem. The gauntlet lit up instantly, the three gems glowing with raw power. A red glow, warm and strong, gripped his hand. Slowly but steadily, it enveloped his arm, then his shoulders. The torso was next, followed by his head and legs. Danny closed his eyes, as the gauntlet's energy finally enveloped his mind; its energy overpowering his senses and thoughts until everything was awash with a blinding red. Struggling to maintain consciousness, Danny whispered his only request.

_"I wish that Phantom had a body of his own."_ The ruby light overwhelmed him.

* * *

**End Notes:** Reviews are appreciated, especially constructive criticism to make later chapters better :)


	2. Unexpected Circumstances

**Author's Note:** The first chapter is finally up! Special thanks to Cordria who helped edit this work. Hope everyone enjoys.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DP.

* * *

The first thing Danny saw when he came to was the floor, matted and grey. He could still make out the old coffee stain from this angle. Groaning, he pushed himself up off the ground.

_What happened?_ His eyes fell onto the gauntlet, still situated on his right arm. Memories flooded through his mind, like a movie on fast-forward. Freakshow, the concert...

"Phantom." He froze as a familiar groan sounded behind him.

Turning towards the noise, Danny's eyes widened as he took in his counterpart's new form.

It was an exact duplicate of himself. Or at least, an exact duplicate of his ghost form. Danny could feel a strange sense of déja-vu come over him, as Phantom stared down at his newfound body. It was exactly the same sort of reaction he'd had when he'd first obtained his ghost powers.

"...you _can't_ be serious," he finally uttered, breaking the silence.

Phantom looked up, his face hardening into a scowl, "Well it's not like you gave me a lot of time to choose, _did_ you?"

Danny flinched at the accusation. Obviously, things had gone a bit awry during the process. He'd wanted Phantom to choose a form, a _unique form_, to live in. Not a carbon copy of his own body.

"Change us back."

"No."

Phantom glared at him and made to reach for the gauntlet, but a quick twist of Danny's hand sent him stumbling into the dresser. "Give it here!"

"Make me!" Danny smirked, as Phantom tried to seize the glove, only to be met with thin air. The clumsy movements only made all the more obvious that the latter was unused to physical movement. It was laughable really, to see the great 'Danny Phantom', AmityPark's protector and hero, struggling to recover a simple object from a fourteen year old human. Even if that human happened to have ghost powers himself.

"Danny, stop playing around! I'm serious here!"

This time, it was Danny who frowned. "Well, maybe if you calmed down a bit, I wouldn't have to play 'keep away' with you."

Phantom stopped and glared hard at him for a moment. Danny could practically see the gears spinning inside his head as he debated whether or not chasing him was worth the effort.

"I can do this all day, you know," he prodded.

"Fine," Phantom turned away, sitting heavily on the bed and crossing his arms; the perfect example of a sulking teenager. Danny raised an eyebrow, unsure if he should be thankful or weirded out. It was one thing to see a mirror image of himself, another to see his own body as an entirely different entity.

He shook his head; whole situation was bizarre as it was. The last thing he needed was to contemplate the psychology behind talking to another version of himself. Even though it technically wasn't himself in the first place.

_Great. Now I'm turning into Jazz,_ Danny exhaled deeply, before seating himself on a nearby chair. His ghostly counterpart merely turned away, deliberately ignoring him. This obviously wasn't going to be easy.

"Look," he began. "I know you're mad at me right now, and I get it. You liked being inside me but-," Danny sighed. "you have to know, it's not _fair_. You can be so much more than this."

"_We_ can be so much more," Phantom corrected. He was still ignoring him.

"That's _not_ the point." Danny retorted, fixing a determined glare at his counterpart. "You can't stay inside my head forever, Phantom. It's not right."

"And separating us is?" the ghost countered.

"Yes!" Danny said exasperatedly, "You've been helping me all this time and all I've done was selfishly use you for my own gain."

"Selfish?" Phantom turned to him incredulously, eyes wide. "I _wanted_ to help you, because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me! I wouldn't even be here without you right now. If anything, I should be thanking you for letting me live inside your mind!"

"But you shouldn't _have_ to!" Danny stood up in frustration. "Don't you get it? You're free! You can do whatever you want now, without me dragging you behind!". He exhaled, before continuing in a softer tone, "I shouldn't be the one to prevent you from having a full life."

Phantom was quiet now, his hands down at his sides. He regarded him with a look that was both pitying and defiant. "...you're not dragging me behind."

"That's just cause you don't know what's out there," Danny collapsed back into his seat. "There's a lot more out there that you don't know about. And I know you want to see it all. But you can't. Not with me. My place is here, but yours... yours is out there," he trailed off, avoiding the other's gaze.

Glancing out the window, Danny took in the last golden rays of the sun, before it disappeared from the horizon. The town's normal everyday bustle was slowing down, a gilded silence descending upon the city. It was a quaint little place, calm and peaceful despite the regularity of ghost attacks, no doubt due to his and Phantom's efforts.

Danny's hands gripped the gauntlet, the cold metal sending goosebumps up his arms. He couldn't let Phantom stay. It wasn't fair; Phantom could do so much more without him. Could _be_ so much more without him.

Danny may not have been the brightest student, but he wasn't oblivious. He'd seen how Phantom always lit up whenever they talked about something new or strange. How the other always prodded him to visit the bookstore, and never hesitated to shower him with questions on weird (and sometimes awkward) topics. The ghost was an intellectual through and through.

_I could never give him what he needs._ Somehow, that thought hurt a lot more than it should have. Long before he'd met Phantom, Danny had already decided he would stay in this town for the rest of his life. Forever if need be, to fight off the ghosts that plagued this place.

He'd been content with his fate, accepted it even. He could handle each day as it came along, alone. Solitary. And yet...

_He can be so much more._

Danny closed his eyes, willing the energy within the gauntlet to activate once more. It would only be a second. A single burst of energy that would allow Phantom to move on, away from this town, this role, this _life..._

"No." Danny jerked his head up, as Phantom grabbed the gauntlet, leaning down towards him. "I can't leave you here. I _won't_."

His face twisted into a scowl. "You can and you will. I won't let you waste your life on some... _delusion_ that you have to stay here for me."

"It's not a delusion!" Danny flinched as Phantom's eyes burned electric-green. "Whether you believe it or not, my place is here. With you." The ghost now placed both his hands on top of Danny's, forcing the red glow of the gauntlet to fade away. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than by your side," he whispered resolutely.

Danny flushed at the words, "I-It's not... I...," he spluttered, trying to find the proper words.

He wanted to argue that Phantom wasn't obligated to stay with him, that he'd taken it upon himself to protect the town, alone. He wanted him to see how pointless it was to stay here, and how his own life was incredibly boring compared to the rest of the world.

_Liar,_ Danny's mind betrayed him. Fighting ghosts as a superhero was probably every kid's wet dream. And Phantom had already more than helped on one occasion. _You want him to stay..._

Aloud, he said, "I-I don't think you'll like it here. It's too... quiet."

Phantom frowned, "We fight ghosts, Danny. Every day. This town's the most haunted place of Earth. If you're gonna lie, at least come up with something plausible."

"It's not a lie!" Danny replied, irritation tinting his voice. "One day, you're going to realize that there's more to life than just this town. And when that time comes-"

"When that time comes, I'm still gonna be here," Phantom interrupted, "whether or not you want me to. I promised I'd never leave, didn't I?"

Danny blushed again, his shoulders slackening with uncertainty, "...y-you did. But-"

"But nothing," Phantom's stare cut him off. "I'm staying and that's final."

Danny matched his gaze, blue eyes against neon green, trying to break Phantom's resolve. Trying to convince the ghost of his stubbornness, or find some way to keep the other from merging them back together again. But none came.

Sighing exasperatedly, he broke eye contact. "Fine. But you're still keeping that body."

Annoyance flitted across the ghost's face for a moment, only to be replaced with a look of neutrality. "Why? We can fuse back together now, and-"

"We're not merging again, okay?" Danny sighed again. "I just... I want a better life for you, Phantom. I can't stand it when you're forced to look after me just because you don't have your own body."

"But I _like_ looking after you."

Danny gave a wan smile, "I know you do. But someday, you'll have something else to look forward to doing. And I don't want to get in the way of that."

Phantom snorted, "Like that'll happen. The day I find something more important than you is the day you give up on that hero complex of yours."

"Hey, I do not have a hero complex!"

The ghost chuckled, "Whatever you say, Danny."

"But I don't!" Danny pouted, a light blush staining his cheeks. "J-just swear you won't change us back when I'm asleep or something."

"But-"

"_Swear._" Danny glared at his counterpart.

"Alright, alright," Phantom backed away from him. "If it means that much to you... I swear. Happy?"

Danny maintained his glare for a moment longer. Finally, he sighed, "Okay."

Phantom grinned. "Good. Now c'mon, it's time for bed."

_Bed?_ Danny looked out the window. Outside, the town was already dark, the buildings only outlined by the light of the moon and the countless stars shining overhead. He hadn't noticed how late it was; his family was probably already asleep.

"It's late, and you have school tomorrow, " Phantom gave Danny a telling smirk, who glared at him in return Walking over to the dresser, the ghost pulled out twin pairs of pyjamas. He tossed one pair to him. "Here. Change."

"Thanks," Danny caught them distractedly. Taking off the gauntlet, he carefully placed the artifact back into the safe. He paused to look at the access pad on the top of the box.

_What if he..._ he shook his head, unwilling to finish. Phantom had promised; he'd never go behind his back like that. He trusted him, more than anyone else. The gauntlet wouldn't be used. He placed the safe back underneath the pile of clothes, and shut the closet door.

With the glove sufficiently hidden, Danny turned back to his counterpart to see-

"H-hey, what are you-don't do... _that _here!" he flushed hotly. Phantom paused, the arms of his jumpsuit hanging down by his hips, revealing a smooth, tanned chest.

"Why not?" Phantom tilted his head in confusion.

Danny spluttered uselessly, looking away. "Y-you know why."

His counterpart stared at him hard; Danny flinched under the intense gaze. It was like Phantom could see right through him. And given that they'd shared one mind before...

"No, I _don't_ know why. Care to explain?" Phantom smirked devilishly.

_He knows,_ Danny thought, shifting uncomfortably from where he stood. "I-It's not...," he stuttered, "We shouldn't be... c-c-changing... i-in the same room and... _s-stop laughing_!" Danny's face lit up as Phantom broke out into gales of laughter.

"You... y-you should've seen the look on your face. I-it's..." Phantom continued to snicker uncontrollably in an attempt to calm himself down.

Danny huffed, "Yeah, well, I'm going to c-change somewhere else." He grabbed the pair of pyjamas he'd dropped during the exchange and stalked towards the door, avoiding his counterpart's gaze.

"N-no, wait," Phantom placed a hand on his shoulder; the cool touch sending shivers down his spine. "I'm fine now. S-see?" He was still holding onto his side with his free hand.

"I just thought it was funny since... well we've been together for almost a year already. It's not like there's anything to be modest about..." Danny blushed fiercely, refusing to look at his counterpart. It wasn't as if he'd forgotten their previous dual existence. But actually interacting with each other as separate people in that context made him feel... violated somehow.

"...but if you really want to, I'm fine with changing in the bathroom. Everyone's asleep already, so it's not like they'll know I'm here," Phantom finished knowingly, his eyes boring into the back of the teen's head.

"N-no, it's fine. I'll go." Danny said, shooting a deft smile over his shoulder before shutting the door. Had he stayed, he might've caught a glimpse of the disappointment etched upon his counterpart's face.

-XXX-

"Ok, Fenton. You got this," Danny stared determinedly at his reflection. "You've fought the Ghost King, you've fought your evil future self, and survived the first year of high school. You can do this." He took a deep breath...

...and collapsed onto the countertop, groaning.

_Oh, who am I kidding_, he thought miserably, rubbing his head in frustration. _There's no way this will work._

Phantom may have been confident about all of this... whatever it was, but he wasn't so sure. He could already envision the massive pile of complications that would come about if Phantom chose to stay.

His friends, for one. He couldn't keep this from them, even if he couldn't predict how they'd react. _How the heck am I going to explain Phantom to Sam and Tuck?_ _A ghost who's been fused with me and acts like a sort of conscience ever since the accident? _Danny snorted. Yeah, he could _totally_ see that conversation going well.

_Might as well chuck myself into the nut-house while I'm at it_, he thought morosely. _Jazz would have a field day on it._

His parents wouldn't exactly be happy about it either, though it wasn't as if he was going to tell them anything important. They'd probably mistake Phantom for the 'ghost boy' (oh, the irony) and shoot him the first chance they got. Or worse, dissect him molecule by molecule. Danny shuddered. No, if Phantom was to have any sort of normal life here in Amity, he'd have to blend in with the crowd first. Which meant he'd probably have to ask Sam for help.

_Assuming she doesn't kill me first, _he thought, already imagining his friend's reaction. Sam never liked it when he kept secrets from her, and she _definitely_ wouldn't like it that he'd kept one for a whole _year._

_Anything else?_ he mentally added 'Sam' to the growing list (circling it twice for good measure).

_There's ghost fighting, _he allowed himself a tender smile. Phantom may not have much of the agility or reflexes for battle, but he definitely had the brains. He fondly recalled how the other had cleverly manoeuvred Skulker into one of his own traps just the other week. It'd been nice to have someone assisting him, but Danny couldn't help but feel much safer knowing that the person he trusted was actually real and tangible, and not a figment of his imagination.

_Guess things won't be that bad_, he thought, feeling a bit more optimistic. His friends might be mad at him, they'd come around eventually. And with some clever make-up, nobody, even his parents, would know how close the other looked to his alter-ego. Everything would turn out fine. Uplifted, he stepped into his room.

"...of course, I might just end up killing myself before all of this is over."

He watched as Phantom rolled around in his bed, his hands roaming across the sheets in an attempt to smother himself across the entire piece of furniture. Annoyed, Danny walked over and prodded his counterpart's back, who was currently lying face-down on the mattress. Phantom turned his head, one eye peeking open from underneath his white bangs.

"Your bed's really soft."

"Yeah, I _got_ that. Can you move over?" His counterpart obeyed, if somewhat reluctantly. Danny slipped in under the covers, taking care to avoid the other's flailing limbs. He'd probably have to get another bed for Phantom to sleep in. But until then, they'd just have to make do with what they had.

"Could you stop that?!" he turned to his other half, who was still viciously fidgeting around.

Phantom rolled over, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry, I just never really felt a bed before."

Danny felt his lips twitch into a lopsided smile. He was glad Phantom was enjoying his newfound freedom. Even if it did come with certain... quirks. He settled down for the night, pulling the covers close around him. Closing his eyes, he drifted off, allowing sleep to settle over him...

"Uaagghh!" Danny yelped, as he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist and pull him flush against another body. An instant later, his survival instinct, honed from countless battles, kicked in.

Jabbing his elbow behind him, Danny caught his attacker square in the ribs. Not wasting any time on the strangled cry behind him, he twisted away from the weakened hold and launched himself off the bed in a half-somersault before transforming mid-air. Immediately, his hand charged a fiery green ecto-blast, ready to incinerate-

"Hey, hey, take it easy! It's just me." Phantom held out his hand, eyes wide with panic. Realization slowly crept into him, and he lowered his arm, dispelling the gathered energy. Changing forms, Danny scowled at his friend, before tentatively crawling back into bed.

"You could've warned me," he admonished.

"Yeah, well I didn't expect to nearly get a face-full of ecto-energy for it."

Danny grimaced, as Phantom gingerly rubbed his side. He hadn't meant to hurt the other so badly; he'd just acted in order to survive. _Survive what? You nearly killed your own friend just because he got into your personal space_, Danny pushed the thought away, ignoring the guilt starting to gnaw at his heart. "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Phantom smiled forgivingly, "It's nothing I can't handle, so don't beat yourself up too much, okay?" Danny opened his mouth to protest, but closed it when Phantom shot him a knowing look.

_Really no use hiding things from him, is there?_ he thought sulkily, watching Phantom's smirk come back full force. "Besides," Phantom grinned mischievously, "we've been in worse situations before."

Danny chuckled, "Yeah, _for me_. You just sit in the background and give me orders."

"Fine then. Next time, I'll do the fighting and you watch."

Danny snorted, before rolling over, pulling the covers back over himself. Once again, a pair of arms reached over to hold him in place, although this time, he knew better than to act rashly.

"Um... Phantom? Mind giving me a little space here?"

"The bed's too small, and we only have one pillow."

"Besides," Phantom's voice dropped lower, "it's not like we can get any... _closer._" Danny's face went up like a stop light. Where had Phantom even learned to _speak_ like that?

However, his musings were cut short as Phantom pulled him in close, his back touching the other's chest. Danny shivered, as the other's breath grazed the back of his neck. It was cool, almost like an autumn breeze. _Probably his ghost powers,_ he decided. An image of luminous green eyes came unbidden to his mind. He'd have to ask Phantom about that later.

"You should sleep."

Danny jolted, all too aware again of his counterpart's presence. Phantom, already dozing off, clutched the back of his shirt, nuzzling in-between his shoulder blades. Sighing, Danny closed his eyes again, willing himself to sleep.

Oddly enough, he didn't feel as bothered as he should have. Perhaps it was due to how close they'd been before the split; Phantom had made it quite clear that personal space and privacy was pretty much non-existent where it concerned him.

_Not too bad, though_, Danny thought sedately. _Kinda like being hugged by a child, really._ It was remarkable, how mature and serious the ghost could be when awake, and so placid when asleep.

He chuckled a bit, his mind becoming muddled with fatigue. Focusing on his counterpart, Danny listened to the slow beat of Phantom's new heart, thumping ever so sluggishly against his back, like someone had muted it. Another hint of ghostly power, he noted. In his ghost form, Danny's own heart pumped at half the regular rate of any other normal person's, courtesy of the ectoplasm that ran through his veins.

He grinned dazedly, the muffled sound lulling him to sleep. It was nice in a way, to know their hearts were in rhythm. Like keeping time.

Ba-dump... ba-dump...

ba-dump...

...

-XXX-

**_Crackle, crackle..._**

"Good evening, and welcome to Action News. I'm Tiffany Snow. Tonight's story: a local concert has just been attacked by a mysterious white male, along with a weird, tattooed ghost. We now go to the scene with Lance Thunder. Lance?"

"I knew I should've taken that job in a-ah... Tiffany! It's chaos here at Casper High. As you can see, strange creatures are flying around, terrorizing the students and band members in what can only be described as a 'torrent of terror'. Unfortunately, the unidentified male seems to have taken them all hostage with some glowing glove, so it doesn't seem likely that they're going to esca-whoa!"

The camera shook wildly for a moment, a monochrome blur rushing by the screen.

"Lance?"

"I-it seems that Danny Phantom has just flown in. Apparently, he seems to be trying to rid the man of the device. Holy... a-are you seeing what I'm seeing?! That man just turned that drum set into a spider!"

"Oh, wait. It looks like the Phantom's got the glove now. Looks like all the audience has been freed...and here comes the Guys in White. What are they-hey!"

"Under federal ghost-catching law, Section C, subsection B, you are trespassing on an ecto-crime scene. Remove yourselves from the premises immediately."

"What? You can't-agghhh! Not the hair! Not the ha-" the screen went blank.

"Uh... sorry folks, but it seems we're experiencing a bit of technical difficulty. Rest assured, when we get back, everything will be like running up to speed. This is Tiffany Snow from Action News, signing out."

**_Crackle, crackle..._**

**_Pause._**

_That glove... it couldn't be. Could it?_ His eyes narrowed. He'd searched for that glove for years, hoping it would give him the one thing he truly desired. He'd tried everywhere; the Ghost Zone, the human world... nothing came up.

But now... he tapped 'Rewind', pausing it at the exact moment where the ghost boy and the strange albino could be seen, struggling for what looked like a golden glove, studded with gems.

_Now that's in _his_ hands,_ he chuckled darkly.

"Meow." he turned to the white cat, sitting his lap.

"Why you're absolutely right, Maddie. It's high time I paid an old friend a little visit."

* * *

For those who aren't familiar with the setting, this fic takes place during the second season, "Reality Trip".


	3. Uncomfortable Conversations

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the wait, but I've finally gotten around to updating this fic. This chapter is unbetaed, but I did my best trying to correct everything. Hopefully, everyone's in character and I didn't miss some gaping mistake somehow.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Danny Phantom.

* * *

The first thing he woke up to was knocking; loud and incessant. Grumbling, he stretched out his limbs, before curling up again under the covers, hoping that the sound would go away and leave him in peace. At least, that's what he wanted it to do.

"Danny, wake up! You're going to be late for school!" Jazz's voice cut through the lazy silence of the bedroom, prompting a small grumble from the other side of the bed. Intrigued, Danny cracked open his eyes to investigate, only to see himself (albeit with white hair) dozing inches away from him.

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" he jumped out from his bed, scrambling away from the duplicate of himself, and falling off the bed in the process. _Where am I? Who's-_

"Danny?! Are you alright?"

Jazz's alarmed tone pierced his sleep-muddled thoughts, triggering his memory. _The gauntlet, Phantom, sleeping..._ he groaned. This was _not_ a great way to start the day.

"Danny!?" he froze, as his older sister's voice reached desperate heights. He looked frantically from Phantom (how he was still sleeping was _beyond_ him) to the jiggling doorknob. Good thing the door was locked or Jazz would've barged straight in, discovering his extra visitor in the process.

_And I do _not_ want to explain how he ended up in my bed_, Danny dashed to his dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Throwing them on, he rushed towards the door, just in time to hear-

"Look out, son! I'm coming through!"

_Oh, great. _Dad.

"Guys, wait!" opening the door, he was treated to the peculiar sight (oh, if _only_) of the whole Fenton family, in front of his room and armed with ecto-weapons. His dad in particular, stopped mid-charge with what seemed to be a gigantic white battering ram.

"You alright, sweetie? You gave us such a scare," Maddie Fenton looked at her son worriedly.

Danny grinned nervously. "Uh, yeah! I was just-uh getting dressed and I... hit my shin on the dresser. Sorry I didn't answer."

"Are you sure?" His parents glared at him suspiciously. Common Fenton parent tactic: stare until you squirm. Not exactly class-A disciplining material, but it worked well enough.

_Yeah, in sixth grade_, Danny thought sardonically. Out loud, he pressed on, "Uh, don't worry mom. My dresser's not, like possessed by a ghost or anything..."

"Oh, well, I guess that's alright then. You just let us know when you need help, ok?" Maddie answered, turning to her husband. "And Jack, put the ram down."

"_Awww_," Jack protested sadly. "But I brought the ram, with the word 'Fenton' on it..."

"Oh, don't worry, honey," Maddie assured him, "I'm sure there'll be another ghost out there we can use the Fenton Battering Ram on."

His father perked up. "..hey, you're right! We could use this on the ghost boy!"

Danny snickered, before clearing his throat inconspicuously. A battering ram? How would they even _hit_ him with that? Breathing a small sigh of relief, he watched his parents tread (or in his dad's case, sprint) downstairs. "C'mon Maddie!"

_Safe_, he thought, before turning to his sister, _Well, mostly safe._

"So, what's in your room?" she asked, peering over his head.

Danny gulped, "Uh... nothing, really. Just...uh..." he discretely closed the door behind him.

"Was it a ghost?" she prodded.

_Oh, you hav_e_ no_ _idea,_ Danny rolled his eyes. "Jazz, it's fine. Really, I got it covered, okay?"

Jazz looked at him uncertainly, before sighing exasperatedly. "Fine. If you don't want to tell me, then I'm not gonna bother with it. Just make sure Mom and Dad don't hear you again." She checked her watch. "And you better hurry up; class starts in fifteen minutes and you don't want to be late for your first day of summer school."

Danny groaned. "Don't remind me. Two months of summer vacation and I'm spending half of it cooped up in school learning the _same_ things I learned _last_ year."

Jazz shrugged and headed downstairs, "Hey, at least it's only English. It can't be that bad, can it?"

_Not unless you count the new ghost-hybrid in my room_, Danny thought glumly. He could already envision his friends' suspicious glares (who, unlike him, had passed English) when he showed up with Phantom; it just didn't feel right ditching his counterpart with them to go to class.

Entering his own abode, Danny took in the bundle of bedsheets that had piled up in a corner of the mattress. Taking note of the messy tuft of white hair underneath, he scanned the floor for a familiar black-and-white jumpsuit.

_There!_ He picked the garment up and brushed off a few invisible clumps of dirt, before glaring at his buried counterpart, _still_ dozing away.

"Wake up," Danny yanked the covers away, only for Phantom to reach out and pull them back over his head. "..mmm... five more minutes..," he mumbled.

_Now I know how mom feels,_ Danny thought ruefully. Reaching into the misshapen pile, he tugged again; this time, on his counterpart's foot. "Wake up, or I'm dragging you out."

Phantom groaned dejectedly, but pushed back a part of the sheets to look blearily at his human half. "Can't you at least give us-"

"No," Danny threw the jumpsuit over his head. "Class starts soon and there's no way I'm leaving you here where my parents can find you."

Phantom took the piece of clothing, glancing curiously back at him. Danny turned away to give the other some privacy, ignoring the wave of red that was starting to spread over his cheeks. Somehow, he just knew Phantom was smirking lazily behind his back.

"Ready?" he turned back to his suited-up counterpart.

"Shouldn't we brush our teeth first?"

Danny frowned. "Absolutely not. If my parents see you-"

"Our parents," Phantom corrected, "And besides, it's not like we can't go invisible or anything."

"And risk Jazz seeing a flying toothbrush in the bathroom? No way." Danny crossed his arms. He'd already had more than his fair share of daily ghost panic, and he wasn't eager for a repeat performance anytime soon. At least, not until after class (in which case, it was pretty much inevitable).

Phantom blinked, "Well, why don't we just explain the situation to her? Jazz already knows about our ghost half, so it's not like she'd tell our parents or anything."

"Except we... _I_ haven't exactly told her about you yet. Can you imagine how hard it'd be to explain this to her? _Without_ freaking her out?" Danny took a deep breath, running a hand over his dark bangs. Getting angry wasn't going to get them anywhere. "Look, let's just keep your existence a secret for now, okay? We'll figure this out after school. Think you can fly?"

Phantom opened his mouth, but quickly shut it and simply frowned. "Maybe," he answered, biting his lip. "I haven't tried yet."

"Try it out. Maybe you still have all our powers." Even as the words left his mouth, Danny couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow as Phantom began to float several metres above the floor. He hadn't expected his other half to retain their ghost abilities, but then again, he hadn't expected a lot of things ever since yesterday's... incident. He'd have to ask Sam about the gauntlet's abilities later on.

Phantom looked at the ground, then back up. "Better?"

Danny blinked, shaking himself out of his own thoughts. "..uh, yeah. Much better." Transforming, he picked up the small backpack by his desk. "Come on, I don't want to get chewed out by Mr. Lancer again."

Phantom flashed him a cocky grin, "Guess that makes two of us."

Danny rolled his eyes.

-XXX-

"Tucker, are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"If by seeing, you mean 'there's two Danny Phantom's flying towards us', then yes." Tucker replied. Sam merely turned back towards the flying duo, not quite believing what she saw. When Danny had called them over to the park, she'd been expecting another ghost fight. Not... whatever this was.

_Did Danny finally manage to duplicate himself? _she wondered. It wouldn't be the first time he'd tried.

She and Tucker stared wide-eyed as both ghosts touched down onto the ground; one of them was carrying a purple backpack. "Hi, Sam. Tuck." Backpack Danny greeted them tersely. Sam guessed he was the real one.

"So, mind telling us what's going on?" she said, her tone neutral. A tense Danny usually meant some kind of trouble.

"Yeah," Tucker spoke, "like why the heck are there two of you? Wait... don't tell me you split yourself up with the Ghost-catcher again," he examined them closely, as if there were some tiny difference that would help him tell which Danny was the real one.

"It's not that, Tuck. I promise," Danny placated him. "This," he gestured to his duplicate, "is Phantom. He's uhh... sort of my brother?"

'Phantom' smiled at them. "Hello."

"Brother?" Tucker questioned. "Dude, you don't have a brother. You have Jazz, not a twin. Unless he's another one of Vlad's clones." He turned to Phantom, "You're not a clone, are you?"

"Hey, don't look at me," Phantom raised his hands, backing away, "He's the one who wanted to tell you guys before class."

"Wait, _what?_" Danny narrowed his eyes. "You're the one who said it was better to get things over with."

Phantom smirked. "I did. _After_ class."

Danny scowled, "You-"

"Okay," Sam cut in, "as much as I like watching the two of you bicker like an old married couple, you," she pointed to Danny, "have class to go to. We'll deal with your friend here."

Danny's eyes widened. "Uh, r-really? Thanks, Sam." Undoing his transformation, he raced down the sidewalk towards the school building. "See you guys later!"

"Wait. Does that mean we're like, stuck babysitting Danny's clone for the day?" Tucker asked.

Sam sighed. "Looks like," she echoed. It might not have been the first time something like this happened, but she highly suspected that it wouldn't be the last either. Still, it would've been nice if Danny had given them some information about this... _thing_ (she doubted it was a clone), before rushing off.

_Guess there's only one way to find out_, she thought dully, leveling her eyes at the 'clone'. "So Phantom, was it? Mind telling us what's going on with you and Danny?"

-XXX-

Tearing down the hallway, Danny's eyes darted down to his wristwatch for the time. _Nine forty_, he noted. Ten minutes late. Skidding to a stop, he opened the door that led to his class. Hopefully, Lancer would be too engrossed in his lecture to notice that he was-

"Mr. Fenton, how nice of you to join us." Danny cringed, as Mr. Lancer's dry voice filled his ears.

_Late_, Danny gave a weak smile. "Uh, sorry, I'm late."

"Sorry doesn't cut it here, Mr. Fenton," Lancer replied acidly, "But seeing as how its the first day, I'll abstain from giving you another detention." Danny let out a small sigh of relief.

Shuffling through a few papers, Lancer handed him a small booklet. "This," he said, "is your course package. It contains everything you need to know for this semester. Study it, memorize it, and you might just pass the course this time."

Danny flushed lightly, but obediently took the packet and sat down at a nearby desk. _Well, at least it's not homework,_ he thought wryly. Balancing homework and ghost-fighting during the school year had been hard enough; he couldn't imagine doing it during summer break as well. Especially considering Phantom's new... condition.

Danny resisted the urge to look up as a particularly loud giggle reached his ears, instead focusing his attention on Lancer's monotone diatribe on Shakespeare. It was most likely another joke shared at his expense. Even amongst the academic failures and teenage outcasts, he was a veritable pariah. Not that their insults bothered him much anymore; fighting against ghosts on a daily basis tended to put things into perspective.

Of course, having a constant companion by his side (or in this case, in his mind) at all times didn't hurt either. Danny allowed himself a brief smile as he recalled his counterpart's resolve during yesterday's conversation. As much as he wanted Phantom to get the freedom he deserved, he couldn't deny that if felt rather nice to know someone would always have his back. Sure, Tucker and Sam may be there to help, but it wasn't the same. They didn't have any abilities, any responsibilities, like he did. They helped because they were his friends, not because they felt any attachment to the job.

That's why Phantom was different. He knew the dangers, experienced the same thrills and terrors that Danny was privy to. The fact that he'd still stayed was... nice. Crazy, but... _nice_ (_not sweet_, Danny mentally corrected himself).

Still, it would be best if Phantom didn't do much in the way of ghost-fighting. His counterpart already had enough on his plate trying to adjust to his new body, much less learn how to fight with it. No, it'd be better if he handled the ghosts for now.

_...Still be kind of cool though, _Danny admitted ruefully.

-XXX-

"Tucker, we've been through this already. It's not a big deal."

Tucker scoffed, "Says you! I'm still trying to wrap my head around how Danny was able to keep this a secret from us for so long. I mean, I'd probably go crazy if I had to live in somebody's head like that for a year!"

Phantom sighed, "Yeah well, it's... it's complicated, alright?"

"Well then maybe you can un-complicate it for us." Sam butted in. Her patience was wearing thin; the fact that she'd just found out that Danny had been keeping a secret from them for an entire year didn't exactly help matters either.

_Why didn't he trust us with this? Did he think we wouldn't keep it a secret?_ Pain lanced through her heart, but she kept her face emotionless. She'd known Danny for most of her life, saw him as one of her closest friends, maybe even-

_Don't,_ she told herself. _Now's not the time._ She glanced back at Phantom, taking in the clone's figure. It was almost disconcerting in a way, how much alike he was to Danny. An exact duplicate, from the way his eyes glowed a garish green to how his snowy hair shone in the dappled sunlight of the grove. Even his gestures and expressions were the same...

"Sam, you okay?"

"Oh-huh?" she blinked, focusing on Tucker, who was looking at her worriedly. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Danny; you know how Lancer is."

Tucker grinned, "No worries, Sam. Lancer may be total bore, but he's not Skulker or anything. At most, he's just gonna give him a detention."

"Right, ha-ha," Sam laughed unevenly.

Phantom shrugged, "Maybe you should tell him about your feelings."

Sam's eyes widened. _How did he_-

"Dude, you know about her crush?"

"Tucker!" Sam turned on him, face red with embarrassment.

Phantom grinned. "Well it seemed pretty obvious, though it doesn't look like he'll notice anytime soon."

"You got that right!" Tucker laughed, holding his sides. "He's always off chasing after Val-ow! _Sam!_" he rubbed his arm delicately.

"Will you quit it? In case you haven't noticed, we still have to find a way to hide Phantom from Danny's parents."

"Relax, Sam. We just dye his hair, get some contacts, and change his clothes. Add in a new name and we're done." Tucker sat back against a fallen tree trunk, hands behind his head. "Easy."

"Yeah, except where's he going to stay?" Sam wracked her brains, going through possible locations of where to house the ghost. "He obviously can't stay with Danny, since his parents are around. They'd figure out his identity in a hearbeat."

"He can't stay with us either. Our parents would be too suspicious." Tucker mused.

"We could just use the Reality Gauntlet again." Sam whipped her head towards Phantom. "_What?_"

Phantom smiled calmly, "The Reality Gauntlet. It's how Danny separated us. We can use it on his parents and make them think I'm their son."

Sam glared at him suspiciously. "And you never mentioned this before _why?_"

"You didn't ask."

"Ugh!" Sam threw up her arms in exasperation_. Boys can be so... so... stubborn!_

"Dude, you do know Danny was supposed to destroy that thing, right? Who knows what someone could do with it." Tucker pointed out.

"Yeah well _Danny_ used it to give me a body," Phantom shot back. "If he hadn't, I'd still be in his mind right now."

Tucker flinched at his tone, "Look, I'm not saying that it's bad that Danny used it to help you. That's great. But still, you guys should've destroyed it after you got your body." Phantom huffed and looked away.

_He should've destroyed it..._ the thought swirled around in Sam's mind. Danny had told them he'd destroy the thing after the concert, that he'd blast it into smithereens and throw away the pieces so no one would find them.

_But he hadn't,_ Sam frowned.

Despite all her warnings, all his careful assurances, Danny had kept the gauntlet, using it to give Phantom, someone that'd been living in his mind for nearly _a year_, a body to move around.

_What other things has Danny been keeping secret from us?_ she glanced at Phantom, who was now examining a large beetle that had crawled up the side of his boot. A surge of jealousy caught in her throat.

_It's not his fault_, she bit the inside of her cheek. Phantom wasn't responsible for any of this. He wasn't the one who'd used the Gauntlet, or lied about destroying magical artifacts that could bend reality. That had been Danny's fault.

_But he still knows,_ her thoughts betrayed her. Danny shared everything with Phantom, didn't he? After all, they'd been practically the same person until yesterday...

"I say we go to Danny's place and get rid of it the second Danny gets out of school," Tucker declared.

Phantom glared at him, "No."

"Dude, why not? It's dangerous."

"Because, we can use it to change-"

"Whoa, ok. Just... no." Sam interrupted, snapping out of her thoughts. "Getting you a body is one thing, but there is _no_ way we're using it for anything else."

"It's for the greater good," Phantom argued. "If Danny's parents take me in, I can stay and help him out with ghost-fighting. Who knows, we could even use it to stop ghosts that are too strong for us."

"No way," Sam countered. "It's too much power for one person to have. And it's too risky; what if someone stole it? We'd have no way to stop them from taking over the world."

"Yeah, and when Freakshow tried, we stopped him. Danny and I can handle things just fine."

"It's not about you _or_ Danny," Sam crossed her arms, fighting down the anger building in her chest. "You're not invincible, and when someone strong enough gets a hold of that gauntlet, there's no telling what they'll do with it."

"We never said we were invincible, _Sam_," he retorted hotly, "That's why we hid it in the first place; so no one can get to it."

Sam scoffed, "Hid it where, in the closet?" She was met with a surprised look. "... oh no, you did _not_ actually-"

"Well where else could we put it?" Phantom said defensively. "It's not like we could just leave it in the lab for our parents to find." Sam's face darkened.

"Hello? You're a _ghost_. You guys could've buried it, or phased it into a wall! But leaving it in your closet? What if Danny's mom decided to clean the room? Or his dad barged in and found you using it?"

"C'mon Sam, we're not that careless!" he protested, looking guilty now, eyes wide and shoulders hunched.

If Sam hadn't known better, she could've sworn Phantom looked more like a child rather than a teenage duplicate of her best friend. She sighed heavily, her anger dissipating as quickly as it had come. "I know you're not. I'm just..." she looked away, "Just try to be more responsible for these things, okay?"

Phantom chuckled softly, giving her a wan smile, "Funny. Usually I'm the more responsible one."

Sam snorted, "I guess someone has to be." She resisted the urge to glare at Tucker, who had chosen that moment to conspicuously cough into his hand ("thanks, mom").

Some things never change.

-XXX-

"Oof!" Danny grunted, crashing into another person as he turned a corner. "Uh, sorr-"

"Watch it, Fentoad!"

Danny yelped as a yank on his t-shirt forced him off his feet. Looking down, he glimpsed the scowling face of Dash Baxter, the school quarterback, holding him up with one arm. "Dash! What are you doing here?!"

"None of your business, Fen_turd._" The bully spotted Danny's scattered schoolwork. "Taking remedial courses? Hah! I knew you were bad, but not this bad!"

Danny sighed, "Look, can we can just get this over with. I've got stuff to do."

"Yeah? Guess that makes two of us," Dash smirked, opening an empty locker. "Good thing I'll always have time for this!"

Danny grunted as his back met dented metal. A second later, all light disappeared as the quarterback slammed the locker shut.

"See you later, Fentina!"

_He does realize there's no lock on this thing, right?_ Rubbing his arm, Danny glared at the locker door in front of him. It'd be an easy task to kick it open, but Danny waited until Dash's laughter and footsteps faded down the hall. It wouldn't do to have the bully shove him in again right after he got out.

Satisfied that Dash was gone, Danny pushed open the locker door... and met resistance. _What the-_ He pushed again, harder this time, and was rewarded with a grating screech. Danny sighed, "Great. Just what I need. A jammed door."

It was a minor inconvenience at best, given his ghost powers, but Danny couldn't help but feel a bit irritated at the gesture. Leave it to Dash to go the extra mile when it came to bullying others. Turning intangible, he slipped outside the small container and dusted himself off.

"Well, at least all my classes are over," Danny said, picking up his schoolwork. "Now I can see how Phantom and the others are doing."

_Phantom,_ Danny felt a small burst of warmth bubble up in his chest. It'd only been a day and he was already missing his other half. Danny raced outside, pulling out his cellphone:

**_Where r u guys?_**

A reply came seconds later. _Sam's house._

**_K. Be right there._**

Danny jumped down the steps leading to the school's front yard. Taking shelter behind a bush, he transformed into his ghost form. _I wonder what Phantom's doing right now?_ he wondered, before taking off into the air.

-XXX-

"You sure this'll work?" Phantom looked uncertainly at the pair of friends. Tucker nodded enthusiastically.

"Absolutely. If Danny's parents couldn't tell the difference between him and his alter-ego, there's no way they'll recognize you with this outfit."

"I dunno," Phantom turned to face the large body mirror. "It still feels kind of weird."

Weird was an understatement. His customary jumpsuit and logo long since had been replaced by a white t-shirt and an onyx vest. Meanwhile, charcoal cargo pants covered his lower half, along with similarly coloured combat boots for his feet. If it hadn't been for his glowing green eyes and half-hidden white hair, Phantom would've been hard-pressed to recognize himself from any other teenager on the street.

The experience was... disorienting to say the least.

Sam huffed irritably, "Well if you're gonna maintain cover, this is the best way to do it." She pulled the black beanie back down over his head, taking care to hide every strand of hair from view. "There. How's it look?"

"Perfect," Tucker replied. He glanced outside Sam's bedroom window. "And just in time too."

A second later, Danny zoomed into the room, passing through the walls soundlessly. "Hey guys, what's-_whoa_." The teen came to an abrupt halt, changing back as he took in Phantom's new outfit.

"So how's it look?" Sam asked. "Pretty cool, if I do say so myself."

Danny blinked, clearly struggling to find the words. "He's..."

"Amazing? Cool?" Tucker finished, a smile on his face. Even Sam looked mildly impressed, no doubt due to the amount of black she'd been able to incorporate into the get-up.

"...not what I expected," the teen finally forced out, looking away. Phantom raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on it. He could ask later anyway.

"Aww, c'mon!" Tucker exclaimed. "He looks great like this! Nobody's going to notice."

"I-it's not that, Tuck. It's just... how am I going to get him past my parents?"

Phantom piped up, "We could just use-"

"We're _not_ using it, okay?" Sam butted in, cutting him off with a glare.

"Wait, what are not using?" Danny asked curiously.

This time, it was Tucker who replied. "Phantom wants to use the Reality Gauntlet to make your parents think he's your twin or something."

_"What?"_

"It's just a suggestion," Phantom protested, crossing his arms. "I mean, it'd be great if Danny and I stayed together."

"A-and we will," Danny assured him, "But that doesn't mean we're going to do anything to my parents."

"Our parents," Phantom muttered.

"Then where's he going to stay?" Tucker asked.

Phantom's felt a smirk tug at the corner of his lips as Danny's face turned several shades of red. "W-well he's... uh, already staying in my room. So..."

"But he can't do it forever, Danny," Sam rebutted, ignoring her friend's peculiar behaviour. "Sooner or later, someone's going to figure out you're not alone up there."

"I know that! Just... give me some time to work this out." Danny paced around the room, thinking.

Phantom sighed, as the rest of the group lapsed into silence. Honestly, he couldn't see why it was such a big deal. There were no downsides to the gauntlet's power, and they'd already used it once; why not use it again to their benefit?

Still, the fact that Danny himself rejected the idea meant that they'd need an alternative tactic. Something that wouldn't draw attention, that would allow him to blend in with the crowd. Something like...

Phantom snapped his fingers, inspiration blazing forth. "An exchange student." The others looked at him.

"An... exchange student?" Danny repeated.

Phantom nodded. "Yeah. Like Gregor, or whatever his name was."

Sam looked thoughtful for a moment. "...it could work," she agreed.

"Could?" Danny questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean, if Tucker went into the school databases and created a fake record for Phantom under an alias..."

"and you told your parents you'd signed up to house a student from overseas...," Tucker supplied.

"...then I could stay with you without raising any suspicion." Phantom finished with a smile. "It's perfect!"

Danny shook his head, "I don't know... It still seems like a stretch to me."

"Relax, Danny," Phantom patted his shoulder, trying to calm the other down. " It'll work out, I promise."

Danny turned to meet his gaze, uncertainty and worry flickering through his pupils. Phantom felt his lips curve upwards into a smile at the small gesture; how like his counterpart to place another's safety above his own, especially so considering how much trouble they could get into if the plan failed. It was, in some ways, endearing that the teen cared so much for him. "I told I'd stay with you no matter what, didn't I?"

Danny shut his mouth instantly, looking away as a light blush stained his cheeks. "W-well, fine. But if we're gonna do this, we have to be thorough about it. A-and we have to tell Jazz too; she deserves to know."

Phantom nodded eagerly at the other's approval. "Right. She can help us maintain cover when I introduce myself to ou-your parents," he corrected himself.

"_Ahem_, and the gauntlet? It's not safe hidden like that in your closet," Sam crossed her arms expectantly.

Phantom scowled at the implication; the gauntlet was the only object that might ever reliably turn them back to normal. Without it, there'd be no way for him and Danny to fuse again, to become whole once more. But at the same time... he shared a brief glance with his counterpart.

_If this is what Danny wants... _Phantom felt a small part of him clench painfully as Danny turned away, eyes hard with determination.

"We'll destroy it," Danny said quietly.

"_Finally._"

"In that case, we should probably get going," Tucker pointed to the clock. "It's already four o' clock. That means we have only a few hours before dinnertime to tell Jazz."

Phantom sighed, "Better late than never, I guess." He ignored the brief look his counterpart gave him.

"Where's Jazz anyway?" Tucker asked.

"...Probably at home, working on her college entrance thesis." Taking Sam's arm, Danny transformed and lifted them both off the ground. "Come on, we'll give you guys a lift."

Tucker looked at Phantom, "You do have seatbelts, right?"

"Hilarious," Phantom deadpanned. Looping his arms under Tucker's shoulders, he flew through the ceiling and into the air. Glancing down to make sure Danny and Sam had followed them, Phantom flew towards the shadowed silhouette of the Ops Center.

"Whoa! I can't believe I forgot what flying was like." Tucker looked down at the street below. "Hey, you can see my house from here."

Sam scoffed, "Tucker, focus! We're here to get Jazz and destroy the gauntlet, not go sightseeing."

"Okay, okay, geeze! What's gotten you so grumpy all of a sudden?"

"I'm _not_ grumpy; I'm just worried about getting things back to normal around here, that's all."

Phantom resisted the urge to look at Danny. He could feel the other's gaze on him, creeping up his side. Vying for his attention. He ignored it and stared straight ahead; there'd be plenty of time to talk later, preferably when they were alone.

-XXX-

"You know, considering you can fly and all, driving a car seems kind of dull in comparison. I mean, do you know how much money you could save without having to pay for car maintenance?"

"I guess," Danny suppressed a sigh. He knew Tucker was only trying to make small talk to pass the time; ever since they'd left Sam's house, an eerie silence seems to have stifled all conversation between them.

_Well, at least I know one reason why_, Danny thought ruefully, shooting another glance at his other half. It didn't take a genius to know the other hybrid still wanted to keep the gauntlet intact, if only so they'd be able to change back.

"Last stop aboard the Fenton express," Phantom intoned.

Danny shook himself out of his thoughts as they reached the intersection near his house. Turning into an alleyway, lowered their friends down on the ground; Danny changing back to his human form as he did so. "Alright, you guys stay here. I'll go in and get Jazz."

"Man, that ride was sweet," Tucker stretched his legs. "Remind me again why we don't fly around more often?"

"If we did, I'd have to start charging you."

"Good point."

"Uh guys, any idea on whose car that belongs to?" Danny turned in the direction of Sam's finger. Parked outside the driveway, he saw a black limousine, complete with gold trim, a stylized 'V' hood ornament, and a chauffeur waiting in the driver's seat.

"Oh no," he said, his blood turning cold.

"Hey, isn't that-" Danny rushed up the steps to his house, and threw open the door.

"Hey Danny!" his father exclaimed. "Look who decided to drop by from Wisconsin! Why, it's my old pal-"

"Vlad!"

* * *

As a side note, this fic will ignore the events of Season 3, and attempt to present its own interpretation. Most of the stuff that was in the third season will likely occur still, just in a different manner. Some things will be added, while other stuff will be left out. It all depends on how I develop the plotline, and how my drafts turn out.


End file.
